104 FAMILIAR FLOWERS OP FIELD AND GARDEN. 



High-hearted buccaneers, o'erjoyed that they 



An El Dorado in the grass have found, 



"Which not the rich earth's ample round 

 May match in wealth — thou art more dear to me 

 Than all the prouder summer blooms may be.'' 



This is the first verse of the only poem which per- 

 fectly celebrates the magnificent golden color of the 

 dandelion. It is indeed childhood's favorite flower, 

 and the beautiful lines express the feeling in the 

 heart of every true flower lover, old or young. What 

 the world might call coTmnon was something infinitely 

 more to Lowell. Only a poet could so perfectly esti- 

 mate the wisdom of a child who looks " on the living 

 pages of Grod's book," while grown-up people pass 

 them by. 



The largest and handsomest dandelions I have 

 ever seen grow in Nantucket ; the farther north one 

 goes the smaller the flower grows. There is another 

 dandelion, a fall flower {Leontodon auturwtiale), which 

 will be noticed further on. I must not omit to men- 

 tion the Cynthia dandelion {Krigia dandelion), which 

 is common from March to July in moist ground from 

 Maryland west to Kansas, and from there south- 

 wardly to Texas. Prof. Meehan says : " The flowers 

 are open before the frosts are wholly gone ; and be- 

 fore March has departed the yellow buds break forth 

 in all their spring beauty and clothe the meadows 

 with their brilliant flowers." It is well to know that 



